Largely considered the second oldest toy in history (the first being a doll, of course), the yo-yo is thought to have originated in China. The first historical mention, however, dates from the year 500 B.C. where Greek children are said to have offered them up to the Gods for good luck.

Later, in the 16th century, hunters in the Philippines used yo-yo-like devices as weapons. Apparently they'd hide in trees and launch rocks from their long cords, drawing them back up in the discs when they missed their target!

These days, a state-of-the-art, forged-magnesium-alloy, ultralong-spinning Duncan yo-yo. can sell for as much as $400! Why the hefty price tag? Well, it's all about getting some "sleep"—that's what the pros call it when a yo-yo spins on the end of it's string. Traditionally, if you could get one to sleep for ten or twenty seconds, that was a big deal. In today's extreme world, technology allows yo-yo champions like Tim Redmond to put their yo-yos to sleep for a staggering 16 minutes and 17.18 seconds, the current world record. Something tells me if the Greeks had our technology, they'd have included a yo-yo competition in the original Olympic games.

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Also on Mental Floss:

DID YOU KNOW? Marlon Brando hated memorizing lines so much that he posted cue cards everywhere to help him get through scenes.
He even asked for lines to be written on an actress's posterior. (That request was denied.)